The incredible, historic, and adventurous tale of Seven Years in Tibet showed one of the last intact and pure indigenous cultures left in the world. Contrary to previous expeditions, mapping quests, and escaping, this POW truly saw untainted Tibet for the first time from a European perspective. This POW was able to observe and record while still having enormous respect for the country and the raw interaction with the native people. This account of an entire country and how foreign the government society is created, depicted a very interesting tale. The autobiography allowed me to learn the greater lifestyle in Tibet and the how the mountain people of Tibet are consoled by the land they inhabit. Furthermore, how they lack the ideas and goals of mountaineering completely. The mountains in which they inhabit are simply place to worship, build a life, and live.

Although, the account brought to us by Harrer is from a European perspective, it is relatively unique in the fact that it was not commissioned by a governmental entity. Further, this allowed for a pure perspective uninterrupted by a caravan or military application. This allowed for the account to truly depict an adventure of a few individuals that need to trade and play by the rules of the country in order to further their adventure. Thus, allowing for a true analysis of one of the most incredible and most intact culture left in the world to be written.

This great anthropological recollection of culture in Tibet and the people who live there, live at some of the highest elevations in the world. These people are not the unintelligent barbarians by Harrer’s account, but rather, humble nomads with similar intellectual capacity as their European counterparts. The country is unique in the fact that it is primarily self-sustaining in regards to food, which is rare in this day an age. Their population had not grown (as of 1950) for hundreds of years. The justice system is employed within the Tibetan country which is old and brutal in cases. Yet, the justice system is much more efficiently competitive to the western system. Although, the criminal justice is brutal, the religion concedes restraint in punishment of crimes. All of this, including their Buddhist religion, allows a relatively small government to breed loyalty from their people, in which there king is also the reincarnation of their deity.

The important role the Dalai Lama plays in country of Tibet is a perfect example of how the rest of the aristocracy works. The Dalai Lama is not just King of Tibet, but also the reincarnation of there god, Buddha. The two part job reflects the absolute power over the two other governmental forces over the country, the monks, and the Nobles. This two headed snake allowed for Harrer to maneuver, eventually allowing for him to become the tutor of the Dalai Lama.

For a European with a country on the other side of the map, he had been fighting a multitude of enemies to bring forth one of the most enlightening tales of a mysterious and ancient culture. This is truly one of the greatest adventure tales ever written and lived. It showed that even as a prisoner of war, one can still achieve remarkable things.